


Balance

by megablazikens



Category: Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 17:10:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3858412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megablazikens/pseuds/megablazikens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sonya explores Babel on her own for the first time, only to become conflicted between two very different ideologies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balance

“Just one more look outside, then I'll be on my way...”

A young girl sat near a window overlooking the bustling city below. She could see many people walking, conversing, or standing near the terminals. Once in a while, she could see Innocents walking around as well as Devil Busters running to their next job with their demon companions by their side. Everything outside looked so lively compared to the small apartment housing the girl. Then again, the city within the imposing tower of Shinjuku Babel showed only a small fraction of the once great city of Tokyo. Outside of Babel was a world filled with demons seeking the death and destruction of human life, along with Devil Busters seeking to restore Tokyo to it's former glory. The buildings that once filled the great city now lay crumbled from their foundations; relics from a time long gone.

Despite the relative safety within the walls of Babel, Sonya's parents did not allow her to leave their home without their supervision. Even then, she was left alone for most of the day until late at night. Today, however, she decided to leave her apartment and find something to do in the city.

“Mom and dad won't be home until later, they'll never know I left! I'll just stay in the city, where it's safe. Demons can't get to me in Babel, and I won't talk to weird people either. Maybe I can go get a snack or something.”

Sonya packed 500 macca into a small bag, along with the spare keys to the apartment and her small stuffed gryphon toy, Griff. With that, she walked out of her apartment and took the elevator down to the streets of Babel. 

Once she stepped out of the elevator, she took a good look at her surroundings. She saw many Devil Busters at the terminal, usually looking at Daily Missions or retrieving items from their storage. Most of them had their demons out. Every so often, the demons would turn to glance at her. She could feel a shiver go down her spine whenever their eyes locked with hers. She couldn't understand how their DB masters could possibly deal with such intimidating gazes. Up the stairs from the terminal was the entrance to the Central Control room, where many DB's went to report to Mr. Yamamoto. She turned away and noticed an Innocent standing near a door. She never noticed them from her apartment above, but it looked like they'd been standing there for a long time. They hardly moved, and only spoke to a few DB's who would exchange inaudible words with each other before they let them through the door. 

Sonya shook her head. It wasn't any of her business. 

“The more time I waste here, the less time I have to get my snack. I need to get out of here before my neighbors see me. I'll just walk as fast as I can to the Pharmacy and get a snack.” 

She made her way quietly past the DB's and the terminal to get to the Pharmacy. It isn't so bad walking through Babel by herself. Her parents were probably being paranoid about her safety. She could handle herself and get away from danger if she wanted to. 

“I have Griff with me. He can protect me from danger!” She thought to herself. 

~*~

An hour has passed since her little expedition from her apartment began. Sonya managed to get her snack and drink and wander around Babel, looking through the windows of the stores along the sidewalk. Most of the stores sold weapons, armor, or other items necessary for a DB. It seemed like wherever she goes, she could see many DB's and demons either relaxing or rushing to their next jobs. 

She continued her walk through the city, deciding that her next stop should be the fountains near the middle of Babel so that she can enjoy her snack. Afterward she can go play in the waters of the fountain, or go see DB Okabe, or-

“Blessed child, are you lost?”

Sonya stopped and turned around. A young woman with white and blue robes stood at the corner of the sidewalk. She held her hands together as if in a prayer and gave a warm smile to the little girl.

“No, ma'am. I'm just waiting for my parents to return from work. They told me to go wait by the fountain over there.” Sonya responded, hoping that the woman wouldn't become suspicious.

“Ah, very well. In that case, since you seem to have the time, would you care to hear me out? I must share an important message with you”

“What is it?” Sonya was curious now.

“It is the message of the Order of Messiah. I am one of the Church's members.” The girl said, as she pulled a small book from her side bag. “This world is dangerous; demons lay at every corner and wish to tempt the Sons of Man away from the true path. They wish to create a lawless world where even the pious and meek are mercilessly killed.” She opened the small book and continued with her speech. “Our heavenly Lord created all life with his love and guidance, yet there are those among us who wish to stray from his guidance; from the hand of salvation he so lovingly extend to all of us. Even so, if you show piety to our Lord, you will live a life of love and peace under His rule.”

“Really?”

“That's right, child,” the Messian smiled. “Those who follow His divine path will have a special place within His Thousand Year Kingdom of peace. Regardless of your age, health, or gender, those in the Thousand Year Kingdom are all equal under the Lord. They live their lives as the Lord commands and follow his teachings so that they and their fellow man live in harmony with each other. You can achieve all this by showing unwavering faith to the Lord Almighty!” 

“What about the people who don't follow that path?” Sonya questioned. “What will happen to them?”

The Messian closed her eyes and sighed. “Unfortunately, those who decide to deny themselves the Lord's salvation shall be excluded from the Thousand Year Kingdom. They are forever damned to live a life without the Lord's love and protection.”

“But, won't they be in danger of being killed by demons if they can't go to your Thousand Year Kingdom thingy?”

“Such is the way of things, little one,” the Messian patted her on the head, “people like that only care about themselves and what they want, without any regard for the safety of their fellow man. They will readily take away the lives of others and throw their lot in with demons. They will take selfishly from those who cannot defend themselves and claim that it is fair,. The Thousand Year kingdom cannot come to fruition if the people do not play their part that the Lord has so generously given them; they create disorder and chaos until they destroy everything the people have worked on their entire lives. If they are so willing to turn their backs on the Lord, on the order and harmony of His world, then they deserve to be destroyed along with the demons.”

“But...” Sonya couldn't imagine something like that. Why would someone be punished so cruelly for deciding not to follow the Divine path the Messian talked about? Wouldn't it make sense to just leave them be?”.

“Oh, but I mustn’t keep you waiting here. Your parents could arrive any moment now. I must go spread the word of the Church to others. May we meet again, and may the Lord's light guide you down the path of order and peace.”

With that, the Messian woman left, walking to the other side of the street to speak with another person, leaving Sonya alone on that street corner. Suddenly, a shadow spread across where she stood.

“So, this so-called 'piety' is supposed to be the right way? That woman wouldn't be able to find her way out of a box without the ruthless orders of her Lord.” 

“H-huh?” Nervously, she turned around to see who stood behind her. A tall man towered over her, wearing red and black robes and holding a staff in his hand. His face was obscured by a wooden helmet, yet Sonya could feel his intimidating gaze through his mask. 

“Heh, don't be so scared, little girl. I'm not gonna hurt you. I was just wondering why you would listen to her in the first place. She preaches about peace and order, but she didn't tell you what the price for such a dull world would be.”

“What do you mean?” Sonya inquired after getting over her initial fear of the man.

“Let me tell you. I am a priest from the Ring of Gaea. Our belief is that anyone can do whatever they please, so long as they have the strength to support themselves. The Messians preach about how their God will save everyone, but it will cost them their free will.” The Gaean priest shook his head as he lifted his staff and hit the sidewalk with the bottom of the staff. “Those like the Messians only use their promise of the Thousand Year Kingdom to control the people. They prey upon the ignorant to do their hard work while they lay in comfort, all under the guise of 'equality under God.' People like that have no right to tell people how to live their lives, not even if their God commanded them.”

The Gaean man turned his attention down to Sonya. She could feel his gaze upon her. “The only way people should live their lives is with complete freedom. Take for example the demons; they live as they please, without inhibitions and without the tyranny of order. As they fight, they grow strong and reap their own rewards. That is how humans should live: taking what they want and growing stronger as they gain knowledge of the world around them and defeat their enemies. Learn from the demons and work alongside them, they can teach you what it truly means to live a life of freedom. Even a little girl like you can become strong if you follow your own path without bending to the will of others.”

“But, what if others...what if I'm not strong enough to do what I want to do?”

“Hmph, then you simply die.” the man shrugged his shoulders. “Don't be so surprised, this is the natural way of the world. Those who are strong enough to hold their own live, while the weak perish. It may sound cruel, but it is only fair. If you live your entire life quietly, you will only stagnate in your own weakness and have everything taken away from you without so much as a struggle. After all, why should the strong carry the weak on their shoulders while they contribute nothing to them? That sounds pretty ridiculous, right?”

“I guess..” Sonya looked at the ground. “It just sounds so mean to do something like that...” How can a life like that be fair? It didn't sound right to take everything away from someone who can't fight back.

“Do not let those thoughts get to you,” The Gaean continued, “If you give people like that mercy, then you become an easy target for those want to take everything away from you. Anyway, I think I've spoken long enough. Shouldn't you go find your parents, kid? I bet they must be worried about you by now.”

“O-oh, yeah...” Sonya bowed, “Thank you, sir.”

“Alright, kid. I'll be seeing you around, alright?” 

Sonya waved to the man as she hurried toward the fountains.

~*~

Even as it got late into the day, Babel was still bustling with activity. The DB's were still running around the city, gathering around the terminals, or going in and out of stores. Sonya sat on a bench near the large television monitor in the middle of Babel, the words of the Messian and Gaean still fresh in her mind. 

“Living in peace without freedom, or living in freedom without peace...”

How can she make a decision like that? Both the Messian and the Gaean made some good points about how one should live their life, but the cost for their ideal worlds seemed like too much. If you decide to live in peace under God, you have to stick to strict rules with no flexibility, and if you break away from these rules, you get punished severely. If you decide to live a life of complete freedom and power, you always have to fight others if you want to do whatever you want, and if you are not strong, you die. Were those the only choices for anyone? She stared into the pools of the fountain, watching a figure with dark skin and brown eyes similar to her own stare back at her.

“I never knew that I'd have to make a choice like that...” Sonya picked up the stuff gryphon from her bag and held him up. “Griff, how do you think I should live?”

The doll offered nothing but silence, it's head flopping to the side slightly.

~*~  
She managed to get back to her home before nighttime, quietly making her way past everyone before reaching the elevator. Before she stepped on, she looked to her side and saw that the Innocent she saw before was still standing near the door, just as they had several hours ago. The curiousness of the scene finally compelled her to go up to the Innocent.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

The Innocent said nothing.

“Um...have you always been here? This is the first time I've seen you. Maybe I didn't notice you before.”

The Innocent still said nothing.

“I saw you earlier today, and you were talking to some Devil Busters and you let them into that door. Where were they going? Is it like a DB club or something? Are there other Innocents in there? What-”

“I cannot answer these questions for you, little girl.” The Innocent finally spoke. They turned their head towards her. “I only let certain Devil Busters through this door. I will not allow you to enter. That is all.”

“Ah,” Sonya sounded a bit disappointed, but she decided not to ask again, “Sorry to bother you then.”

She ran toward the elevator without saying another word.

~*~

Many days have passed and Sonya still couldn't stop thinking about what she had learned during her little adventure through Babel. She would find her self staring into the distance for some time or lying in her bed for most of the day. Despite having the apartment to herself most of the day, she hardly left her home, only staring out the window for long periods of time, or sitting outside near the elevator door. Her parents started noticing the changes in her behavior, worrying for their daughter. When her parents approached her about this, she did her best to tell them what was wrong without telling them about her trip to Babel. 

“What if you had to chose between two different ways of living, but neither of those ways sounded very good; Do you still have to chose between them, or are they really the only options?”

Her parents were not expecting a question like that. What could have caused her to think about a complex question seemingly out of nowhere? Nevertheless, her father knelt down and tried to answer her question.

“I'm not sure where you got those thoughts, but it isn't something you should worry about now.” Her father explained, petting her lightly on her head, “Everyone has to make difficult decisions sooner or later, but you shouldn't be able to make that decision yet. There are lots of reasons for why people do the things they do, or live the way they do, but it's something that you shouldn't concern yourself with right now. Take this time you have as a child to figure out what you want to do, and when you're an adult, you can make that decision.”

“Alright dad,” she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, “thank you.”

She wasn't very satisfied with his answer, though she decided not to ask them again. Her parents didn't seem to know how to answer her question. 

~*~  
Two weeks later, Sonya was still left with many questions, and very little answers. She sat outside of her apartment, on a small bench near the elevator looking around at everyone who passed by. She didn't feel like leaving the bench to explore Babel again, not wanting to talk to the Gaean or the Messian again. However, she was still fixated by the Innocent standing guard in front of the mysterious door. She was still curious about what could be behind that door, and over the past two weeks, her curiosity only grew everytime she looked over to it. She wanted to ask the Innocent about the door again, but knowing how the Innocents are programed, they'd probably tell her exactly what they said last time. She couldn't stand it. She had to know what was beyond that door. 

While the Innocent was preoccupied with talking to another DB, she stood up and quietly walked behind the Innocent. She hoped that neither of them wouldn't notice her. It was nerve-wracking, but she was determined to get to the door. Just as she reached the door, she felt something bump into her. 

“Ow! What-”

“Hey, what's that kid doing over there?”

The jig was up. Her exclamation drew the attention of the Innocent and the DB to her. Before they could reach her, she felt something pick her up.

“Are you alright?”

A pair of blue eyes looked her over. It was another Innocent who came through the door and bumped into her. This Innocent didn't have a helmet or a vizor like most Innocents wear, however, letting their long hair fall over their shoulders. Oddly enough, the Innocent was also carrying a rifle in their arms.

“I'm sorry. I didn't see that you were behind the door, little one.”

“Um, it's fine. Don't worry.”

“Do you know this kid?”

Sonya turned around to see the guarding Innocent and the DB behind her. It was the DB that had asked that question. 

“Access through the door is only given to a few people and DB's. If that girl was sneaking through, you guys could get in trouble.”

“It is not the first time I've seen this child.” The guarding Innocent added, “She was asking about what was behind the door, but I have told her that she is not allowed inside.”

Sonya stammered “I-i was, I just wanted t-to lo-”

“She is with me.”

Everyone looked toward the vizor-less Innocent that came through the door earlier. They placed Sonya back on the ground before explaining themselves.

“I offered to show this child the place beyond this door a while back. She must have wanted to see if I was coming to retrieve her. Isn't that right?” They looked back at Sonya for an answer. She knows she shouldn't go to other places with people she doesn't know, but she didn't want to face the consequences for her attempt at sneaking in. Plus, Innocents wouldn't do anything bad to her, would they? She nodded slowly in response to their question.

“Please do not be angry with her. I will make sure she does not leave my side. I don't believe it's against protocol if she's with me, right?”

“...I suppose not.” The guarding Innocent looked Sonya over one more time before they turned to the other Innocent. “Very well. So long as she is with you, she may pass.”

“Thank you very much. Should we be on our way?”

“Yeah...”

~*~

“Why did you help me back there?”

Sonya and the Innocent have gone past the door and were walking down a dimly lit corridor. Every now and again the lights would flicker slightly, giving the place a sense of mystery. Since entering, she hasn't seen any sign of other people or Innocents. It really was an odd place.

“Well, I remember seeing you eying the door a few times before.” the Innocent answered.

“Wait, you've seen me? When?”

“About two weeks ago. I remember seeing you leave the building nearby and you were staring at the door. I was standing at the top of the stairs on my way here. It was actually quite a surprise seeing you looking at the door again multiple times since then. I kind of put two and two together when I opened the door and found you so close to it. By the way, are you sure I didn't hurt you when we bumped into each other?”

Sonya rubbed the back of her head. “Don't worry. I can be clumsy sometimes. My mom and dad tell me I should watch where I go all the time because I keep bumping into stuff.”

The Innocent chuckled lightly, “Well, I’m glad that you are fine. My name is Rekishiya by the way.”

“I'm Sonya.”

“It's good to meet you. Also, we're here.”

They stopped in front of a large room, illuminated by dim ceiling lights. At the far end of the room was a strange device with multiple, large wires connecting to a spinning cylinder. Sonya recognized it as a Terminal, similar to the ones she's seen in Babel.

“What's with this Terminal?”

“This Terminal is what the Innocent outside was guarding. It leads to a special place for us Innocents and for certain Devil Busters.”

“What is that place?”

“I'm about to show you. Stand next to me so that you don't get left behind.”

She held on to Rekishiya's arm as they walked towards the Terminal. An eerie blue glow emanated from the object as it spun slowly on its pedestal. Etched onto most of the sides of the terminal were strange glyphs that appeared to move on their own if you stared at them for too long. The Innocent raised her hand a pressed at one of the many empty screens on the Terminal. Sonya couldn't see what was on the screen from where she stood, but before she could ask about it, the area around them began to glow slightly. The room distorted around them as a strange noise filled the area which caused her grip on the Innocent's arm to tighten. In an instant, a noise that sounded like a gust of wind blowing through filled the room, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Sonya opened her eyes slowly; the terminal remained silent and the room around them was no longer distorted. In fact, the room looked like it hadn't changed at all.

“...This place looks like the last room we were just in. Did we actually go anywhere?”

“We did,” They motioned at her to release their arm, allowing them to sling their rifle over one of their shoulders, “Follow me.”

They walked down another corridor similar to the one the had previously been through when they first went through the door in Babel. Interestingly enough, the lights in the corridor were brighter and did not flicker so often as the other ones. They reached a large screen door at the end. Rekishiya knelt down and reached for a small handle at the bottom of the door, gripping it in their hand as the slowly lifted it off the ground, leaving a large enough space for Sonya to fit through.

They gestured to the space. “After you.”

Sonya nodded and stepped through. The sight behind the door was not what she had been expecting.

Before her were several small buildings, illuminated by street lights and by neighboring buildings with neon signs. Parts of the ground were covered by something that looked a lot like grass, with several spaces enclosed by a black square meant to mark off areas where DB's can set up bazaars. Up above the area was a large ceiling spotted with many lights and a few windows that gave a glimpse of the what looked like the sky. Several teal banners were hung over the metal framework of the ceiling, each of which bore a symbol of a tree. What surprised her the most were the amounts of Innocents walking throughout the place, going in and out of buildings, and conversing amongst themselves or with the few humans that were scattered throughout. Compared to Babel and the ludicrous number of people there, this place would have been mistaken as being abandoned. Nevertheless, it was truly a sight to behold.

The Innocent behind her lifted the screen door further and passed through before closing the door behind her. 

“Well, this is it. Welcome to Protopia.”

“Woah...” Sonya wasn't able to say much. She never imagined that the mysterious door would lead her to a new city entirely.

“If you are overwhelmed, we can go rest somewhere, unless you want to go back-”

“No! Um, wait, I mean,” pulled out of her reverie, she struggled to contain herself, “I'll be fine, don't worry about me. It's just really cool that there's an actual town here. I don't think my parents ever told me that this place existed.”

“I wouldn't be surprised. We Innocents try our best keep Protopia's existence a bit of a secret to humans, save for a few Devil Busters and like-minded humans, as well as shopkeepers and such. For the most part, however, you will find mostly Innocents here.” 

“This place kind of looks like Third Home.”

“Well, in the past, it used to be a human settlement called First Home. Since then, we Innocents and a human we know as Madam Justice turned this place into what it is today. Are you familiar with Third Home?” 

“Sort of. My dad took me to Third Home a long time ago when he and other guards had to help out Mr. Snakeman with something at the service entrance there.”

They both walked about the pathways of Protopia, stopping to wave at some Innocents or humans as they caroused through the place. 

“What do your parents do, anyway?” Rekishiya asked, “I usually see you by yourself. I don't think humans would let their children wander around Babel without them.”

“Oh. My parents are both guards at the Shinjuku Docks. Before I was born, they used to live in Third Home, but moved to Babel when they were transferred to the docks. My dad said that my mom stopped working as a guard for a few years after I was born, but she returned to work because they were understaffed.”

Sonya stopped to look down at the ground. Rekishiya stopped with her, a look of worry spreading across their face.

“I don't see them at home very often because of that. They have their days off sometimes, but there are times when they have to be called back to work because of something. It's kind of annoying when I really want to spend time with them.”

A few minutes of silence passed before they spoke up again.

“It must be hard. Humans live pretty short lives when you think about it. It makes sense that they would try to do so much in that time, but I think sometimes they forget that there are others who want to spend time with them.”

“Yeah...I guess. My parents do get me a lot of stuff with the macca they get from work, but it'd be nice to spend time with them.”

Sonya quickly changed the topic of the conversation.

“Earlier you said that 'Like-minded humans' also come here. What do you mean by that.?”

“Oh, that.” Rekishiya said. “I'll tell you about that, but why don't we sit down first.” They sat down on the grass and motioned Sonya over to sit down next to them. She nodded and let herself drop into a cross-legged position. The grass felt cool on her legs.

“Well, before I go on, you have heard about the Ring of Gaea and the Order of Messiah before, right?”

This conversation wasn't exactly much better than before.

“Yeah...” Sonya mumbled, “I talked with members from both places when I was walking around Babel two weeks ago.”

“So then, I guess they told you about their ideal worlds, right?”

“Yeah, but,” She couldn't stop herself as she spilled out her feelings to them, “I don't understand why either of them want people to chose between those two ways of living. The Messian lady told me that only the people who give themselves to God will live in the Thousand Year Kingdom, but if people don't follow their rules and laws, then they'll be left out to die. Then the guy from the Ring of Gaea told me that only people who work with demons and are really strong can live in their world, but if you're not strong, then you'll just be killed. Are those really the only options we have? Why isn't it possible for us to live differently? Is any other way of living so bad that only the Messian's or Gaean's way are possible?”

The Innocent stayed quiet for a few minutes. They shifted slightly to allow themselves to stare up at the ceiling over Protopia. Their eyes closed and their mouth moved slightly, as if they wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Finally, they opened their eyes again and turned to Sonya.

“It is a very difficult decision, isn't it? But the concept is still the same for both groups: 'it's either my way or be killed.' It does seem unfair.” They looked down toward the grass and ran their fingers through the blades. “They make it seem like there can be no other choice. When you think about it, there's some truth to that, but at the same time, their worlds cannot remain the same forever. A world under God's law will stagnate in time and the people will wish for freedom from it, while a world in complete chaos will destroy itself and the people will wish for order.”

“That can happen?”

“It can, and it has before in the past. To me at least, that is how the world had always been since before the Great Cataclysm. Their type of ideologies never last long.”

Sonya pulled her legs up so that her hands and chin could rest on her knees. “I don't think I've ever thought of that before.”

“Also, consider this: the Gaean and Messian worlds are supposedly ideal for mankind, but what about us Innocents? We were created by Kuzaka the Wise to help with the rebuilding of Tokyo; it's in our programming to help mankind. We would not be able to live in the Thousand Year Kingdom of God because we were not His creations. We have no place in the world of freedom because we were not meant to fight humans, let alone demons. All of us would be killed for something we have no control over.” Rekishiya touched their rifle's strap as they spoke. “Most of the Innocents have not realized that yet, but Innocents such as myself, the guard outside, and the Innocents living here know what will happen to us, and that is why we and other humans decided to band together and create Protopia, where we can all live together. It would make sense, instead, to strive for a world of balance.”

“Is that what you meant when you said Innocents and 'like-minded' humans being here?”

“Exactly.” They gave Sonya a warm smile. “We want to make a world where anyone, whether they are humans or Innocents, whether they want order or freedom, can live together. We want a world where you can do whatever you want as long as you're considerate of those around you; where we can live in peace without giving up on individual freedom.”

Sonya thought about it. Why wouldn't it be possible to make a world like that? If you take the good points from the Messian's and the Gaean's worlds, then it could be possible. 

“Yeah. That makes sense. That's a lot better! Is that how the world was before the Cataclysm?”

Rekishiya looked at her with bemusement. “If the world was like a long time ago, then I don't think any of us would be living in a destroyed Tokyo today.”

The smile from Sonya's face faded. “Oh...yeah you have a point.”

“Come to think of it, you don't know how the world looked like before the Cataclysm.” The Innocent stood up and helped her to her feet. “I want to show you something then.”

~*~  
They both walked into a small building separate from the more livelier areas of Protopia. The building had no signs to indicate what it was used for, and the room inside was dimly lit. Empty boxes and many pieces of paper lay scattered across the floor, forming a messy path to a wooden stairway that led up to another floor. 

“Sorry about the mess,” Rekishiya chimed in as they pushed away some of the boxes, “Some of my companions were supposed to clear this area out, but it looks like they were either called away to do something else, or they forgot.”

“It's alright. My room is messy, too. Except it's not this dark. Where exactly are we?”

They spoke back as they began to climb the stairs. “Follow me and I'll show you. I think you'll like it.”

The reached the top of the stairs and entered a new room. This room was in a better state than the one on the floor below, but it was filled almost completely with old books, stacks of paper, shelves, and wooden containers. Old electrical devices and other objects filled the shelves and containers, some of them having a few cobwebs and dust gathering on their surfaces.

“This place is cool!” Sonya ran up to one of the shelves to pick up what looked like a phone, save for the fact that it was able to close with the screen and the buttons touching. “What are all these things?”

“All these objects are things we salvaged from buildings all over Tokyo. Part of our task for rebuilding Tokyo was to take things like furniture and such out of the destroyed buildings so that they can be used again later.” Rekishiya walked past Sonya and stood in front of a shelf lined with books, moving their fingers across each spine. “I think what the commune was looking for were intact electrical devices and furniture so that they had something the humans could immediately use, or things that could be re-purposed into something else. We didn't know what to do with the rest of these things, so we took them here. To be honest, I kinda hope I can organize this place. There's lots of interesting stuff that we've gathered. Also, I think it's polite to ask before you grab something.”

Sonya quickly put the object back in it's place. “Sorry. I got really excited.”

“No worries here. Just be careful, most of these things were already in pretty bad shape when we found them. Come here for a moment.”

They pulled several books of the shelf and placed them on a small table in the middle of the room, pulling up a chair for Sonya to sit in. They took the first book from the top of the pile and opened it.

“This is a Geography book. It has pictures of different places around the world. I think you should look at it.”

The book had several pictures of Japan. There were pictures of lively cities with people walking down crowded streets, forest paths with trees, and snowy mountains with people sitting in pools of water. Under each picture were the names of those places. She recognized Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Suginami, Nakano, and more, but they looked nothing like how they do presently.

“Tokyo really is different now, isn't it?”

“Yeah...,” Sonya flipped the pages. There were pictures of many other places she's never heard about before. “All these places used to exist a long time ago...”

“In a way, I think they still exist in this world. They probably don't look anything like they did in the past, or they're underwater now. Who knows.”

Sonya closed the book and reached for the next one on the pile. “ _Mythologies and Religions of the World_...” There were pictures in that book as well. Some were of places like the ones in the geography book, but most were of murals, pottery, and other things that depicted magnificent beings and beasts. Most of the book however listed the names of those beings and stories related to them. “Wait, all these things, aren't they-”

“The demons you see around these parts now? Yes.” The Innocent answered her question as if she had anticipated. “It's interesting that, even before humans acquired the Demon Summoning Program that is prevalent in all the COMPs today, they have come in contact with these demons before. Some were revered as gods, other reviled as evil spirits. It's books such as that one which allowed us to know about the origins of some of these demons.”

“Woah...” Sonya pushed the book aside to reach for another from the pile. The book had a picture of something that reminded her of the demon Anzu. “What's this book?”

“Oh, I think you'd really like that one. It's a book about the animals found across the world. Or at least, the animals that used to be found all over the world. The animal on the cover of that book is a called a Lion, if I remember correctly.”

Just as they said, the book had many pictures of different animals, most of which she's never seen before. Large beast covered in fur of different color, birds with a variety of feathers, insects of all shapes and sizes, and gargantuan sea life that she would have never imagined existed. “This is amazing! Did all these animals live in Tokyo?”

Rekishiya placed their hand over their mouth and chuckled lightly. “If you went to a zoo, then yes, but most animals didn't live in the cities, unless they were insects or certain types of birds. But yes, all these animals existed in different parts of the world long ago. Who knows, maybe some of them are still alive out there.”

“These books are all amazing! They have so much stuff about the world from a long time ago!”

“If you really want to, you can take a few of them with you.”

Sonya beamed at the prospect of being able to look at the books whenever she wanted. “Really?”

“Sure, just be sure to return them to me once you've read them,” They walked over to another shelf full of books, “If you want other books that are a less on the technical side, I have some literature here as well. _A Midsummer's Night Dream, Paradise Lost, A Game of Thrones, Avatar Tuner_...well, some of these books might be a bit too much for your age, but I have some old manga lying around somewhere too if you want to look at them.”

“I'm fine with these books for now I think.” Sonya carefully closed the book she was looking through and placed it next to the others. “Wait, how am I supposed to return them to you if I can't come here by myself?”

A smile spread across the Innocent's face. “Don't worry. I'll just tell the guard that you have permission to come to Protopia whenever you want, just as long as you keep this place a secret.”

Sonya ran up to them, wrapping her arms around their waist to hug them. “Thank you so much!”

~*~

They both left the building after some time. Sonya had a small brown messenger bag slung over the shoulder that contained the books she read earlier. She couldn't wait to go home and read through them more carefully. They walked around Protopia again, stopping every once in a while to talk to other Innocents or to some of the DB's. They reached an open area, near where another storage unit for Devil Busters stood, when the Innocent stopped in their tracks.

“Ah, I almost forgot. Before you leave, there's one more place I want to show you. It's my favorite place in Protopia.”

They walked down another path leading to another area of Protopia furthest away from the entrance. Beyond the archway they passed through was a relatively small open space compared to the rest of Protopia, but the sight before them was breathtaking; in the middle of the space was a large fountain with several stone pillars standing over it. Water shot out form the middle of the fountain and from the top of the pillars, cascading down into the pool below. The light from the street lamps nearby reflected of the water droplets, creating a stream of light as they poured out. The grass and trees surrounding the fountain complimented it well, giving those who saw them a sense of tranquility as the sounds from the fountain echoed softly. Beyond the fountain was a small pathway lined with trees that lead to what looked like a building coming out of the wall, with only a single door at the front. Above the fountain, however, was a magnificent display that showed the night sky, though instead of being obscured by the foggy clouds that covered most of Tokyo, it was as clear as the night sky shown in the books, with many stars illuminating the darkened sky. 

“This is the Protopia fountain. It's without a doubt one of the most beautiful places here.”

“It's really pretty...” Sonya turned her attention to the door beyond the fountain. “What about that place over there.”

“Oh, that's where Madam Justice lives, but I wouldn't suggest going there. She doesn't see many people these days, and I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be allowed to enter anyway. Either way, I think that was all of Protopia that I wanted to show you.”

Looking at the night sky, it reminded Sonya of how much time had passed since coming to Protopia. “Oh! Wait, do you know what time it is now?”

Rekishiya looked down at her, “I believe it's about 8:45pm now.” 

“Oh no! I have to get back home now! My parents should be getting off of work soon!”

“Very well. I'll walk you back out of here then. I can show you what to press on the terminal to get in and out of Protopia while I'm at it.”

~*~

The streets of Babel were still quite active, even as it got late into the night. After being in the relatively calmer pathways of Protopia, Babel seemed unnecessarily loud to her. She and Rekishiya spoke with the guarding Innocent, telling them to let her through should she ask to go into Protopia again, which surprisingly, they agreed to. Perhaps they really do trust her with such a secret. She began walking toward the elevator in front of her before turning around one more time to say goodbye to her new friend.

“Thank you for everything today!”

“No problem!” They replied as she waved back. “Don't forget to come visit again when you need to return those books, and don't forget about what we talked about today as well.”

Sonya recalled their conversation about balance between order and freedom and smiled. “I won't forget. I'm glad we talked about it. Well, bye!”

She scampered to the elevator and pressed the button that led up to the door of her home. She moved her hand over the front flap of the messenger bag, excited to continue reading the books once she got to her room. There were so many things she wanted to learn from these books. What made her happier was remembering the conversation she had with Rekishiya. The uneasiness and lethargy she felt for so long was finally gone after listening to their words about balance. If all of Tokyo could find that balance, then everyone would be much happier, living in a world where both freedom and order coexist.

“It sounds really great...”

~*~  
15 years later...  
~*~

“...And that's why I decided to become a Devil Buster: to help make that world that Rekishiya told me about all those years ago a reality.”

Years have passed since Sonya had wandered the streets of Babel on her own, yet Babel itself remained unchanged for the most part. Devil Busters hurried to and from jobs while others wandered around aimlessly or met with friends. Still, compared to the noise outside the apartment, she and her roommate were enjoying a quiet afternoon together, drinking tea and eating some sweets. Across from them were the demons Kushinada-hime and Alice, holding their own teacups in their hands as they listened to their master's conversation. Near the window overlooking Babel was a ragged stuffed Gryphon resting against the glass, it's colors faded and covered in hastily sewn patches of fabric. Sonya held her guitar on her lap, pulling at the strings absentmindedly while she spoke.

“Sorry that I kinda went off like that. I should have warned you that my story was kind of long.”

“Don't worry about it! I told you my story earlier today, so it's only courteous that I listen to yours as well.” Petite answered before taking another sip of her tea, “I thought it was pretty great. So you've been visiting Protopia since then?”

“Yep! I've even been borrowing more books from that place since then, too! I'm glad they managed to organize that place now. It's basically a library for anyone who wants to learn more about the world from before the Cataclysm. I think you should take a look there the next time you go to Protopia. I have some books here with me as well if you want to look at them instead.”

“I'd really like that. It must have been cool for you to sneak away to Protopia for so long without your parents finding out.”

Sonya stopped strumming at the guitar strings. “Um...actually they found out about it a few days later...”

Petite raised an eyebrow at her. “They did? I thought you only went to Protopia while they were at work?”

“Yeah, I did, but one day I forgot that they were coming home earlier than usual because of a holiday, and they found the house empty... Let me tell you, they were _livid_.” She shuddered thinking back to that day, “I'm just glad Rekishiya was able to help me out. If it weren't for them, I think I'd still be locked up in my room back at my parent's place. Though I would probably be mad at me too if I was in their place, to be honest...” Sonya resumed strumming the guitar strings. “They put up with so much of my shit back then. I hope they're not worrying about me now.”

“I'm glad you have a pretty good relationship with your family... I wish I could say the same for myself and my sisters...” Petite stared sadly down into her empty teacup.

A heavy silence permeated the room. Sonya recalled the story Petite told her about her sisters. How they all grew up in Arcadia; how her oldest sister left them on their own to live her life the way she wanted to in Souhouzan; how her other sister dedicated her faith to the Messian ideal, even going so far as to putting her trust into an untrustworthy demon. It was quite a tale, and something that Sonya had a hard time putting her mind around it. Despite how both of her older sisters ended up choosing one extreme over the other, Petite managed to place her faith in humanity and help anyone she could, regardless of who they are. 

“You're pretty strong.” Sonya finally broke the silence. “I don't think I'd be able to handle the situation you and your sisters were in. I might have ended up like one of them.”

“Don't sell yourself short either. I think you're pretty strong, too! I mean, yeah you were confused and upset about the Messian and Gaean ideals, but you found a balance between them, even if you did get some help from the Innocents.”

“Haha, you're right.”

Sonya stretched her arms out, placing her guitar on the pedestal at the corner of the table before sprawling out across the floor.

“I think I'm gonna take a nap. I'm supposed to meet up with Vera later today. She and I are gonna investigate some stuff over at Celu Tower. I hope she doesn't bring Nyarlawhatshisface with her this time, though. Geez, what a creepy guy...”

Petite giggled. “Isn't his name Nyarlathotep?”

“Hey, that's what I said, wasn't it?”

They laughed together while their demons looked on.

“Humans sure are strange.” Kushinada-hime commented.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction in I believe 4 or 6 years that I've managed to actually finish. This is also my first fic for IMAGINE.  
> I don't have much to say other than I'm pretty sure this fic isn't as great as I had hoped it would be, but if you guys have suggestions on how to improve, please let me know. 
> 
> Aside from my character, this fic also has a friends' character from IMAGINE. I'm surprised I didn't have anyone else show up.
> 
> Thanks guys!


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